Woods steps up Open preparations

Tiger Woods stepped up his preparations for next week's British Open when setting a course record 67 during a fourball at The European Club at Brittas Bay yesterday.

Woods was at his best in front of the smallest gallery of his Irish tour, due to the level of secrecy about the visit, and played virtually flawless golf from the back tees which stretch the links to 7,300 yards - about 330 yards longer than next week's British Open at Muirfield.

Woods and playing companions David Duval, Mark O'Meara and Scott McCarron were delighted with the links course which saw Woods use all but three clubs in his bag.

"This is great. This links is tough and demanding and just what I need right now," Woods said, as he worked through an array of shots which included a four-iron to the third for his only eagle of the day.

He produced a three-iron shot from behind a bush to the centre of the green at the 470-yard seventh and then had a two-iron approach to set up another birdie at the 10th.

At the second of The European's par fives, the 596-yard 13th, Woods threw himself into the tee-shot and produced a long-running driver off the deck to come-up four yards short of the putting surface.

The eagle got away but the birdie was routine. The seventh hole was a major talking point among the group when they saw the tiny fairway off in the distance and the 127-yard green at the par-four 12th also had them in deep conversation. McCarron sent his caddy up to the far end of the green to place a marker that they could all putt to.

McCarron, using a long putter, won the $5 bet by getting nearest the hole, about 10-yards away from the mark.

The new "Tiger-tee" on the 420-yard 17th brings the player to the top of a high dune and affords a view out over the entire links, the Irish Sea and to a ribbon of fairway down below - O'Meara was the only one to find short grass.

On the 18th green Pat Ruddy, the club's owner, conferred honorary life membership on his American guests and revealed that he had approached the Royal & Ancient on the possibility of bringing The British Open Championship to Ireland again one day and, in particular, to The European Club.

The only time The British Open was played in Ireland was in 1950 when Max Faulkner won at Royal Portrush.